The Bulldogs ?All-Island? September schedule concludes with two more games coming up this week, which sees the Dogs making their second trip of the season into Nanaimo Friday night before returning home to host the Victoria Grizzlies Saturday night. Yes, I?m aware that Powell River is on the Mainland. Call me old school but I still consider them an ?Island team? as they were in the Island Division before the BCHL created the ?Coastal Conference? amalgamating the Island and Mainland divisions.
The Bulldogs are still in search of their first win of the season, sitting at 0-5-0 and 1 entering play this week, after losing to Powell River at home last Thursday 4-2, before ending up on the wrong end of a 5-4 score in Victoria on Friday. Again, for a full recap of these games please read the most recent ?Hammer?s Recap?
First up, it?s into Nanaimo on Friday. The Clippers are off to another ho-hum 6 and 0 start, after sweeping a home-and-home set with Cowichan last weekend with a 5-3 win in Duncan on Saturday night. This game had a crazy ending that will no doubt see suspensions with a multiple fight situation erupting at the 20:00 minute mark of the third period. At the time of this writing no suspensions have been handed down by the BCHL as of yet, but there will indeed be discipline coming. Just going by the box score on the BCHL website, four Clippers were given fighting penalties at this time- Randy McNaught, Todd Kennedy, Carson Schell, and Eric Filiou. McNaught, Schell, and Filiou were all given game misconducts which leads me to believe all of their fights were deemed to be after the initial scrap. That would again make me assume that all three players will receive a minimum one game suspension. Filiou was also given a match penalty so he could be gone for a longer period. When it comes to making decisions on discipline the BCHL office of course goes on what the game officials report and what the game video shows, not just a box score. Enough of the incident that might see Nanaimo short players for Friday. Here?s what happened in the GAME. Nanaimo was down 1-0 after one before coming out firing in the second to score twice quickly to lead 2-1. First it was Eric Filiou tying the game 1-1 1:29 in with an un-assisted, shorthanded goal. 6:37 in it was 2-1 Clippers with Russell Goodman scoring from Kevin Noble. The Caps would even it at 2-2 9:55 in with a power play goal before Nanaimo took a 3-2 lead into period three with Eric Filiou scoring his second of the game at the 18:54 mark of the period from Kevin Noble and Brad McConnell. Just past the halfway mark of the third Cowichan scored to tie the game at 3-3 but that was short-lived as less than a minute later Tim Holloway scored from Russell Goodman and Brad McConnell for a 4-3 advantage. Mikael Bedard added the 5-3 goal with 25 seconds left for a 5-3 final before the aforementioned brou-haha broke out. Shots were 32-30 in favor of Nanaimo. Michael Garman picked up the win in net. Nanaimo was 0 for 5 on the power play while Cowichan was 1 for 10. The Clippers also scored once shorthanded.
These teams have met once this season already, a 5-1 Clippers win on game 1 back on September 7th. The Dogs were behind the 8-ball from the outset, down 1-0 just 1:04 in. The closest the Dogs would get would be when they battled back to tie the game at 1-1 with Marcello Ranallo scoring on the power play at 10:31. Before the opening period was out Brodie Zuk added a power play marker for a 2-1 Clipper lead. The only goal of the second saw Warren Muir score early on the power play for a 3-1 lead for Nanaimo after two. In the third Matt Irwin scored on a 5 on 3 power play for a 4-1 lead before Kevin Noble scored on a rebound in the games dying minutes for the 5-1 final. The Bulldogs have seen significant change in their roster since this game while Nanaimo has seen minimal change. The Bulldogs no doubt hope the significant roster change brings about an equally significant change in the games final score.
You may remember me previewing the Bulldogs vs. Caps home opener weekend, when I said that Bulldogs fans would hope that history DOESN?T repeat itself after the Caps swept both games of the same set last year. When it comes to the Dogs vs. Clippers and the scenario entering Friday?s game, Bulldogs fans will hope that history DOES repeat itself. Last year the Clippers raced to a 7 and 0 start before the Bulldogs handed them their first loss, 6-5 in overtime at the Frank Crane Arena on October 1st. In 2005-2006 the Clippers again raced out to an incredible 9 and 0 start. Again it was the Bulldogs that handed the Clippers their first loss, 4-3 at the Dog Pound on October 8th. Yes, I?m well aware that last year and the year before that are nothing but a memory when action kicks off on Friday, but it?s still interesting nonetheless.
Friday night the pre game show from the Frank Crane Arena kicks off at 7:15pm with the puck drop at 7:30pm. Catch all the action on your radio in the Alberni Valley on 93.3 The Peak FM, and anywhere in the world on your computer through the BCHL?s Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca
Saturday marks the first time this season that the Victoria Grizzlies will make a regular season trip to the Dog Pound, after the lone exhibition tilt in Port Alberni between these two teams ended in a 4-4 tie. The Grizzlies enter this week with a record of 1-2-1 and 2, good for 5 points.
Victoria won the most recent meeting of these teams just last Friday night at the Bear Mountain Arena by a score of 5-4. After hosting the Dogs on Friday the Grizzlies headed to Powell River last weekend for back-to-back games at the Rec Complex against the Kings. The Kings would win both- 5-4 in double overtime on Saturday, and 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. In the Sunday game the Grizzlies got off to a flying start with Brian Nugent scoring just 20 seconds in, assisted by Pierre Girard. That would be it for the offense though as Powell River scored three unanswered throughout the rest of the game for the win. It was 2-1 Powell River after the first with power play goals at 13:25 and 18:19. After a scoreless second period the insurance marker for Powell River came again on the power play, 3:38 into the third. Shots in this game were 30-19 in favor of Powell River. The Kings were 3 for 9 on the power play while the Grizzlies went 0 for 7. Mathew Wong was tagged with the loss in goal.
Before traveling to Port Alberni on Saturday the Grizzlies will entertain the Cowichan Valley Capitals at home on Friday night.
Saturday night the pre game show from The Pound is on the air at 6:45 with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00. Catch it all on your radio in the Alberni Valley on 93.3 The Peak FM, and anywhere in the world on your computer through the BCHL?s Fanzone at www.bchl.bc.ca
Audio: ?Last Two, Next Two?
Click the underlined links to listen
